Chapter One: A Beginner's Quest
Another Autumn day in Axel, I entered the only Adventurer Guild in the town.
Upon entering the Guild, I found myself in the dining area and saw that all the tables were empty. Even though it may be the time when people should be eating lunch but it was not strange to see the Guild being empty. More like I should say it being noon was the reason why the Guild was empty.
Winter was coming.
The adventurers have to be hardworking around this time to earn enough Eris to survive the winter. The monsters in Axel become less active in Winter so earning Eris and living becomes difficult during this season.
That's why whenever I come to the Guild I would only see the staffs and the waitresses either just cleaning the place or idling around.
Hm? Something was a bit different this time.
I saw a girl sitting alone at a table near the corner of the Guild. What made her stand out, apart from sitting alone at a table, were her black hair and her crimson eyes.
Ooh, it's rare to see a Crimson Demon here. I thought they would refuse to come to this beginner town where monsters were weak.
To think there's an odd one out from the clan...
"..."
Her eyes were fixed on the cards on the table. Her focus on building a card tower was something I have to praise. Even though I may be interested in having a chat with this odd Crimson Demon but it seemed she was more interested in building the tower so I decided not to talk to her.
"...?"
Suddenly, she lifted her head up and looked at me. I quickly adverted my gaze away from her.
Crap, I think I stared at her for too look that she noticed me. I hope she doesn't think I'm a creep for staring at a little girl for this long. Woah, she's still staring at me, this is not good! I might even be reported to the police!
After a while, the girl sighed and went back to building her tower. For some reason, I think I saw a bit of disappointment on her face.
"Ah..." The girl let out a squeak when she saw her tower had already became a pile of cards on the table.
It seemed like her tower fell because she was broken out of her concentration. She was sad for this tragedy to happen and somehow I felt responsible for this.
Maybe I should order her a drink or something to apologize.
But before I do that, let me turn in a quest.
I walked to the quest counter. Behind the counter was a girl with shoulder length blue hair.
"Hey, Mune. I'm done with the errand." I said as I passed a basket to the receptionist, Mune.
"The pastries made by the Baker siblings, right?" Mune checked inside the basket and accepted the basket. "These are all the items listed on in the quest, you have completed your quest. On behalf of the Adventurer Guild, I appreciate your effort, Mr. Shadow."
Mune bowed slightly.
"Wait, there's no need to be so formal." I waved my hands to tell her to stop. "We've already known each other for so long. Plus, I only ran an errand for the Guild. These are just bread for what the chef are using tonight, right? It's no biggie!"
"Hahaha, you are reacting too much for something like this." She laughed. Then she winked. "This is part of our regulations, you know?"
This brat was just teasing me for her amusement, a moment ago I saw her idling around the Guild along with the other staff members and she only came to stand at the back of her counter when I entered.
But seeing her bright smile like this I guess I could just turn a blind eye just this once.
I have known this girl for a long time, Mune was a receptionist who's in charge of small quests which mainly consist of running errands or helping people to find their missing cats.
Axel was just a beginner town, so there were many small quests the town was able to offer that dedicated adventurers would be able to live solely through completing these type of quests. This was how I managed to survive through Winter last year.
To be honest, I should be grateful to this girl in front of me.
Mune was the one to convince the Higher-Ups to start giving out small quests to adventurers. This will help the locals and also make living easier for beginner adventurers. This was what we call Job Creation! A lifesaver for us! Mune was the Creator of Small Jobs in Axel! I should start calling her the Goddess from now on!
"The Goddess of Odd Jobs!"
"Huh? What did you just say?"
"No, it's nothing..."
Crap, I can't believe I blurted that out loud! That was embarrassing! I want to die!
"Ah, I just remembered." Mune lifted her index finger. "Miss Luna was looking for you."
"Luna? Looking for me?" I expressed my doubt.
Why wouldn't I? A star receptionist of the Adventurer Guild who's in charge of bigger quests was looking for someone who only did small quests to survive?
"If I remembered correctly, it seemed like she had a problem with a few adventurers accepting a quest." Mune said.
"A problem?"
"That is correct." The voice of a woman came from behind me.
I turned around and saw a wavy blonde haired busty girl standing up straight.
This girl was Luna.
"Strange that the star of Axel's Adventurer Guild is looking for me." I said. "If you have a problem shouldn't you look for people of advanced jobs and not someone who lives solely by doing small odd jobs?"
Luna was not only the face of the Adventurer Guild but also the receptionist who handles much more advanced quests. If the beginner adventurers wish to take on harder hunting quests or dangerous dungeon exploration quests, they will need her approval first.
So someone like her in this line of work would know the faces of capable adventurers in the town.
Even with that said, I think every adventurer would still go to her regardless of the magnitude of the problem.
"Again with that?" Luna looked displeased. "You yourself are one of those advanced job adventurers."
Me? Advanced job? How?
Luna definitely saw the doubt on my face, otherwise she wouldn't have made a troubled expression. She sighed:
"Your occupation is of a 'Contractor'. Even in the standards of advanced jobs that occupation is rather rare."
"It's true that the standard of my occupation may be an advanced job." I shook my head. "But you do know the inconsistency of being a 'Contractor', right? Otherwise, I wouldn't even be living with just doing small jobs."
The advanced job, 'Contractor', was an occupation that one can obtain by making contract with a being. Be it a monster, fairy or ghost; as long as the person makes a contract he or she can become a 'Contractor'. But making contract was not an easy job, after-all it depends a lot on luck to encounter and befriend a being who would voluntary make a contract.
This was why the 'Contractor' occupation was rather rare in advance jobs.
Another reason why 'Contractor' was an advanced job was because of the strength one can obtain by making a contract. Depending on the being one makes contract with, the 'Contractor' will be given some abilities such as increase in one's stats, obtaining new skills or even be granted the ability to summon the contracted being to help in battle.
One will also need tremendous luck to meet a being who is strong and willing to make contract.
Which was why this occupation becomes rather inconsistent in strength and usefulness in the battlefield.
This also explained why I am doing small jobs in the beginner town for a living.
"I am well aware of that." Luna nodded.
"Then why are you looking for me?"
"Because this is a problem only an adventurer of advanced job can do."
"A problem only an advanced job can do?"
"That is correct." Luna wore her famous smile. "Care to listen to our problem?"
='='='='=
Luna filled me the details.
The problem she was having was two adventurers wanted to take on a quest which requires the elimination of the infamous Rookie Killer. This type of quest was one of the quests of highest difficulty in Axel. Just as its name suggests, Rookie Killer targets beginner adventurers who carelessly wandered into its territory or those who have overestimated their own strength and challenge it.
This wolf-like creature often herd and protects a group of goblins. The creature uses the goblins to bait beginner adventurers and hunt them down when they are occupied by the goblins. It was evident that this creature was intelligent and cunning which was why it was given the name Rookie Killer.
Earlier today, Luna disapproved the two adventurers from taking the quest but, because the pay was high, the two did not want to back down.
This is where I come in.
With the use of my status as an advanced job adventurer, I must convince the two to not take the quest.
To be honest, with Luna's social skills, I did not think it was possible for Luna to fail in convincing the two adventurers.
If even Luna couldn't convince the two people then how would I be able convince them?
I don't know, I guess I'll just have to wing it.
I walked up the stairs to the balcony and immediately spotted the two adventurers, who fit Luna's description, at a table.
And the moment I saw these two adventurers, I had a bad feeling.
There were a boy and a girl.
The boy, who has straight light brown hair, and was sitting up straight on his chair with his arms folded. From his expression, it seemed like he was irritated. Maybe he has grown impatient because the simple 'accepting a quest' had turned into a long negotiation.
The girl, who has straight brown hair that reaches the middle of her back, had her head buried in her arms on the table. It appears to me that she was taking a nap.
One thing I found interesting was the clothing they wore.
Both of them wore matching black clothing that resembles school uniform, the only difference was the girl wears a skirt and the boy has a trouser. The pattern made the uniform look fancy, there were white lines separating the black colors into rectangles of different sizes. The size of the black rectangles depends on the area they occupy on the uniform; at the end of the uniform there were large concentration in the white lines resulting in smaller black rectangles, and at the body of the uniform there were less white lines and thus bigger black rectangles.
Even though they may resemble school uniforms a lot but I have yet seen one with a pattern as stylish as that. Even the Kingdom that specializes in Academics did not have school uniforms with this kind of pattern, though that was some time ago since I have last visited that Kingdom.
The closest thing I could compare to was the school uniform the Reincarnators wear when they first arrive to this world. They usually take those clothing with no defense value off and wore armor made by the locals. But they do still keep their school uniform safe with them for sentimental value.
Very few of the Reincarnators battle with the clothing they came with, unless they have nothing to change to. From what I heard from Luna, these two adventurers were capable to complete some rewarding quests and managed to buy themselves a house to stay in. Therefore, they were no longer a beginner adventurers and should have enough money to change into better gears.
Well, since they were Reincarnators their strange behavior was justified.
After-all, it's not their attire that Luna refuses to approve their request to take the quest.
"Hi, guys." I greeted as I walked up to them. "I heard you are planning to take on a Rookie Killer."
"Exactly." The boy stood up and answered immediately. "We will not back down from taking the quest."
He has been observing me the moment I walked up the stairs. He definitely knows the reason why I came up and talked to them. Well, I'm sure he heard Luna talking to me downstairs since there was nothing to hide so, naturally, he would make that response.
I can see he has confidence from his expression and from listening to his tone of voice. Also, the way he stands reminded me of trained soldiers and knights which was rather uncommon to see in beginner town. Normally former soldiers and former knights would have skipped Axel when they became adventurers.
So I concluded this boy must be in some sort of military or had some form of training back in his world.
This could also explain why he has confidence in doing one of the hardest quests in Axel.
To be honest, if I were Luna, I would have approved him accepting this quest. Why? Because I know how powerful Reincarnators are. They are so overpowered that it's not even exaggerating to call them a cheat.
Also, this two-person party consisting of two Reincarnators definitely has the firepower to obliterate anything standing in their path.
Though, even with that said, there was still one deciding factor why Luna refused to approve them taking up on the quest.
"I would still like to have a few words with you." I pulled up a chair and sat at their table. "Let's first introduce ourselves. I am Shadow, occupation is 'Contractor'."
"Shadow, huh." The boy also sat down. "My name is Karl, Karl von Schmidt. My occupation is 'Adventurer'."
"...zzz..."
"This woman is my partner. Her name is Alice Meyer. She is just like me, an 'Adventurer'."
"I see, so both of you have the occupation 'Adventurer'."
That's correct, these two Reincarnators happened to be the weakest of all occupations.
The 'Adventurer'.
This was why Luna disapproved them from taking the quest and also why I decided to come to persuade them to not take the quest.
Party Composition.
One of the thing beginner adventurers often overlooked and think the only thing they need was firepower. An unbalanced party is dangerous and without people covering the weakness of a party may be lethal in their future adventures.
There are too many dangers out there that the beginner adventurers does not know.
No matter how powerful a man can be, he can still die from getting his head chopped off by a winter general or falling off a tree and twisting his neck as a result. Even if that man makes a strong suit of armor to protect himself, he could still be melted down by a slime or die from shock.
One of the well-known and powerful adventurers knows that which was why even till this day I could still see Mitsurugi in Axel looking for a mage or priest to balance his party.
I should mention this flaw to Karl.
"I bel-"
"Don't worry, I already know."
Just as I opened my mouth, Karl held up his hand which was an indication to stop me from speaking.
"I already know the reason why you and Luna are disapproving us from taking the quest." Karl added. "It is our team composition, right?"
"A-Ah, yes. That's it."
I was caught off guard that he already knew about his flaw. Maybe Luna already pointed it out to him earlier on. If that's the case then it will be easier to persuade him.
"If you already know there's a flaw in your party composition then why are you still persistent in taking on the quest?"
"Because I am a Military Genius!" Karl suddenly stood up and declared. He swung his right hand outwards. "I shall not turn a blind eye upon such a high risk quest where I could test my skills and still receive a large sum of income!"
"So it's about money, right?" And what was up with that Crimson Demon moment?
"Exactly!" Karl folded his arms. "But worry not, I have already came up with a solution for our problem." He led my view with his hand and showed me a brown-haired person standing against the wall at the corner of the balcony. "I have arranged an increase in personnel for my party."
"Oh, I see! Why did I not think of that earlier? You can recruit someone to balance out your party!"
"Exactly!" Karl folded his arms and smiled proudly. "Coming up with a win-win situation is easy for a Military Genius like me!"
It's the second time Karl has called himself a genius as of now, to be honest, he's just as annoying as Crimson Demon Clan. But I must admit, he was able to think outside the box to come up with such a solution, Karl may be more intelligent than the way he acts.
"His name is Ken." Karl introduced his new member. "His occupation is also an 'Adventurer'."
Ah, I see. That boy's name is Ken and his occupation is... also an 'Adventurer'?!
"Wait a second, did you just said he is also an 'Adventurer'?" I asked Karl in disbelief.
"That's exactly what I just said!" Karl nodded. "Ken is an 'Adventurer', just like me and Alice!"
Is this kid an idiot?
"What's the point in adding another 'Adventurer' in your party? Did you really understand what team balance is? What are you planning to do with three 'Adventurers' in your party?!"
"Worry not, I recruited him with team balance in my mind." Karl said. "With him in the team, we can have someone to protect our six!"
"Heh." The loner Ken scoffed.
He seemed to have taking interest in our conversation and turned our way. I was able to see the tip of his brown hair on his left was silver in color.
"Don't get me wrong when I said I'd join your team." Ken widened his eyes. "I only joined because the both of you are my prey ready to be slaughtered and devoured!"
"Your new member is saying something dangerous. Are you sure it's okay to entrust your back to someone like this? Are you sure he's not going to suddenly stab you in the back?"
"Worry not, this is just his way of saying 'Hi'. After-all," Karl made a gesture of 'a screw loose in the head'. "He may have contracted a 'Crimson Demon Clan Disease' which caused him to speak strangely."
"Like you're the one to talk! And what the heck is a 'Crimson Demon Clan Disease'? Does it even exist?!"
"Haa, like I said people of the Adventurer Guild worried too much." Karl sighed. "My three-person team will be fine facing off against a Rookie Killer. Take a good look! We are all motivated!"
"Mmn..." The groan came from the only girl on the balcony.
Alice, who was sleeping this whole time, has finally woken up. She slowly lifted her head up and, with her sleepy brown eyes, looked around the balcony.
Then her gaze was fixed on one single person.
"Karl..."
"Yes, it is Karl."
"Are we going home now?"
"..."
"Ah, I see." I nodded. "Looks like one of your party member is motivated to go home."
"No, you have misunderstood her." Karl denies. "Alice says NEET-like things because she also contracted the 'Crimson Demon Clan Disease'." He closed his eyes and nodded. "That's right. Shut-in NEET exist even in the Crimson Demon Clan!"
"Like hell I would buy that! Like, just what is a 'Crimson Demon Clan Disease'? Instead of something that make these two behave like Crimson Demon Clan, I feel like you are insulting them! Apologize to all the Crimson Demon Clan in the world!"
"It seemed to me you have pent up a lot inside you to retort this much in one go. Do you not have any friends who you can talk to? Are you a loner? Ah, I see what really happened to you." Karl patted me on the shoulder. "You must have also contracted the 'Crimson Demon Clan Disease'."
"As if there is a disease that could make someone a loner! And wait, why is Ken looking at me as if I'm the same as him? Why is he also patting me on the shoulder?"
"We are the entities rejected by the world." Ken held his hand out to me. "So, come with me, together we shall walk through the path of darkness."
"I'm sorry, I don't speak Crimson Demon. Can anyone translate?"
"What Ken said is." Karl answered. "He wants to be your friend."
"No way! Why would I want to be friends with someone who just said he's going to stab his teammates in the back?"
"You cannot refuse." Ken shook his head. "The moment I laid my eyes on you, I already knew you and I were similar. It must be the work of fate that we were able to meet each other."
"What do you mean we are similar? Do I look like a serial killer to you? And it's not fate that brought me here to meet you. It was Luna who sent me here to convince you three to give up on taking on a difficult quest."
"But if we have a good party then there is no need for us to give up on that, right?" Karl nodded. "Alright, since there's four people in my party so we can immediately head off to eliminate a Rookie Killer!"
"Hmph, easy." "...zzz..."
"wait, wait, Wait! Stop right there!" I quickly stepped in front of and stopped two boys marching and one girl sleep walking down the stairs. "What did you mean by four people? Who is this fourth person? I don't see him anywhere?"
"It's me, Alice, Ken and..." Karl pointed a finger at me. "You."
"Me?!" I exclaimed my doubt. "Why am I your fourth person? When did I even agree to join your party?"
"The moment you became friends with Ken, who is an important member of my party, you are automatically a member of my party as well."
"What kind of logic is that? That doesn't even make sense!"
"Hah, I see you are still putting an act on." Karl put his hand over his face and stared at me with his gray eyes from between his fingers. "I can see that you are overjoyed to join my party and excited to make new friends. You cannot hide from the eyes of a Military Genius."
"Whether you are a Genius or not, I don't know. However, one thing I do know for sure is that your eyes are filled with nothing but 'Crimson Demon Clan Disease'!" I retorted his strange obsession. "And where did you get the idea I'm here to join your party? Don't forget that I'm here to convince you to gi-"
"Ah." A squeak came from behind me.
I turned around and saw Mune covering her mouth with her hands.
"I see, Mr. Shadow is willing to assist the adventurers with their quest." She said. "I shall inform Miss Luna about your intention. I'm sure she will approve the party to take on the quest."
"Wait, I didn-"
Before I was able to finish my sentence, Mune already ran off.
I wanted to chase after her but a firm grip on my hand from behind stopped me.
"Looks like we are officially in the same party now." Karl shook my hand. "Welcome to my party."
"Rejoice friend!" Ken swung his arm outwards. "You will be able to hunt with me!"
"...Zzzz..." Alice snores.
These guys just forced me to join their party!
No wonder I had a bad feeling when I first saw them!
"Listen, I'm going to say this nice and clear." I said. "I have not agreed to join your party and will definitely not join a quest to hunt a Rookie Killer!"
I then declared:
"I will DEFINITELY not!"
On a certain plain outside Axel.
We hid behind a bush at the designated area where the Rookie Killer was recently sighted.
When I said 'we', I meant the four of us: Karl, Alice, Ken and me.
If I was to be asked why I joined these three adventurers to take on the quest, I would give them one line to describe these three as an answer.
'Because they are Overpowered!'
Back in the Guild, when I was strongly objecting the idea of joining these three...
='='='='=
"I approve of Karl's four-man party to take on the quest." Luna said something devastating with a clear voice.
She was sitting behind her counter, opposite me, while wearing her signature smile.
The three adventurers behind me gave each other high-fives in delight.
In contrast to them...
"Huh?!" I slammed the top of the counter and expressed my disbelief. "Do you know what quest they are taking?"
"Of course." Luna nodded. "The Elimination of a Rookie Killer. One of the most dangerous quests Axel can offer."
"If you know it's one of most dangerous quests then why are you approving it to a team that consists of three 'Adventurers'?"
"That is because you are with them."
"I am with them?"
That's rich! When did this happen?
Wait, if I think about it, just now, didn't she mention Karl having a four-man party?
At that moment, I took a side peek at Mune standing behind Luna, who I think could be the person responsible for dragging me into this mess.
Mune noticed my gaze. She returned with a beautiful smile and lifted her hand up to show me a victory sign.
You damn brat! Are you trying to kill someone?!
I need to quickly tell Luna that I have not joined with these three or else I would die an early life!
"You got this all wrong! I'm not wit-"
"There is no need to be so humble, Mr. Shadow. Just as we expected of you, you were able to solve the problem we were having. Just like your reputation say about you."
I was interrupted by Luna before I could tell her the truth.
However, I did not stop talking because I was interrupted, rather, there was something she said that pulled a string in my heart.
"Re-Reputation?" I stuttered the word. "I have something like that?"
"That is correct." Luna nodded. "Because of the deeds you have done for the locals, they spoke highly of you and words have already reached our ears."
"O-Oh, so that's how it is."
The deeds I've done for the locals, huh... Have I done anything noteworthy?
All I could think of was small stuff like finding missing cats, chasing away some trouble-causing thugs and delivering bread for people.
Ah, I see. Maybe that's all I needed to do to win the hearts of the locals.
Nothing incredible but just getting close to the locals and helping them out.
"N-No, this is really, nothing." I scratched the back of my head embarrassingly. "Doing things for the locals is what adventurers do. I am just doing what I should be doing as an adventurer."
"Pfft!" Mune quickly covered her mouth and turned around.
Hm? Did she just sneezed? Maybe she caught a cold or something. I could not tell since she has her back facing me. But one thing I did notice was her trembling shoulders...
Wait, is she actually laughing? W-was there anything strange in my grand speech?
"Also, I heard from Miss Mune about all your achievements since you have become an adventurer." Luna added. "I have always thought you refused to take advanced quests because the being you formed a contract with was not favorable. But now I know you were actually being humble by hiding your true power and voluntarily doing small quests so the other adventurers could have a chance to complete higher quests. You have earned my respect!"
Luna slightly lowered her head right after she said that.
Woah, she actually bowed to me! What a surprise! This was my first time being bowed to since the time I've became an adventurer. To be honest, even though it was embarrassing as I was not used to it, this action made me feel as if everything I've done was thanked for!
It felt really good!
But thinking back, what have I actually done as an adventurer worth praising?
Other than all the small quests I've done for the locals, the number of monsters I have killed was... one...
...
Now I am feeling a lot of guilt from receiving her respect. Maybe it's best to tell her that I'm not the man she think I am.
"You kno-"
"Now that I hear you'd be joining Karl's party," Luna said. "I trust not only will you keep them safe from harm but also complete the quest at ease." Luna showed her signature smile. "Right?"
Just before I could finish my sentence, I was once again interrupted by Luna as she finished her sentence first. But that didn't matter, because I had already made up my mind. Even if she showed me that killer smile of hers I would not change my mind!
Then, with a stern posture and voice, I told her my decision:
"That's right! With me in his party there's no ways we would fail the quest!" I pound my chest with my fist. "You have my word!"
"I am glad to hear that." Luna stamps the quest paper with the Guild's seal. "I approve of Karl's party to eradicate the Rookie Killer that is threatening the safety of the Axel's residents!"
"I pray for your success!"
='='='='=
I am such an idiot!
I can't believe a few praises could change my mind so easily.
Why did I agree to do something I couldn't possibly do? Forget about killing a Rookie Killer, I haven't even slain a goblin ever since I've become an adventurer.
But luckily I'm not alone for this quest.
"Let me confirm this once again." I said to the other three party members in a voice low enough that the goblins wouldn't notice us. "The special skills each of you can do."
To make sure I could live past today, I have asked Karl and Alice about their abilities before we got to this location.
"My ability is to create weapons according to my knowledge." Karl whispered.
"Such as?"
"From knives to guns. You name it."
Guns, huh... Doesn't this brat know the people in this world has no knowledge about the things called 'Guns'?
Luckily, to me guns were not all that foreign to me as I have met other Reincarnators who have brought guns from their worlds.
Guns are really overpowered weapon. They are easy to carry and can fell enemies from a long distance with good accuracy. They certainly are better than any offensive magic because of their significantly short preparation time to deal the same damage.
Having a weapon like that, even invading the Demon King's castle wouldn't be too hard.
But then, why hasn't anyone done so?
The answer was simple. That's because guns require things called 'bullets' in order to fire their shots. Just like a bow needs an arrow and magic require mana. Indeed, guns are powerful weapons but without bullets they are just trash.
In this world where nobody knows about guns, naturally bullets for guns does not get manufactured.
Thus, the Reincarnators who brought guns from their world quickly ran out of bullets before they could make a name for themselves among the adventurers. They have to resort to using local weapons and became regular adventurers.
There was a case where a Reincarnator who chose the ability to be able to replenish bullets for his guns.
Of course, with an OP weapon, that Reincarnator was successful!
He managed to make himself a name among the adventurers and even the royalty! But it was not his strength alone that brought him fame. That Reincarnator was handsome, has a big heart and was a natural lady killer; he could make any girl fall for him where ever he goes and accepts anyone into his harem.
Though, that Reincarnator's fame did not last long as he died shortly afterwards.
No, he did not die heroically on the battlefield against the Demon King's army but rather he was stabbed in the back by one of his harem...
The news quickly spread and his greatest fame also became his greatest shame...
Now, I have mixed feeling about having a Reincarnator who uses guns.
"My ability is..." Alice whispered.
Oh, right, it was Alice's turn to say her ability.
"...zzz..."
Don't snooze off!
"Her ability is to be able to use any sort of weapons." Karl answered in her stead. "Basically her ability pairs well with mine."
That's right, those are the abilities they have chosen before coming to this world. Though, I am rather surprised that these two did not plan to hide their abilities like the other Reincarnators I've met. But thanks to their openness I know they are overpowered enough for me to survive this ordeal.
"Hmhmhm, looks like it's my turn." Ken said. "My abi-"
"Karl, is that girl really okay?" I showed him my concern. "She seemed to be sleeping more than half of the time since I've talked to you. Isn't this dangerous if we are on a quest with our lives on the line?"
"Worry not. Alice is a trained soldier and she will stay awake when she needs to."
"Ah, I see. So she used to be a soldier as well, huh."
"Exactly. And because of the harsh training we've been through, she learnt to be energy efficient whenever she can."
"Is this the right time to be energy efficient? We are in the middle of a quest! How can she still fall asleep when there are monsters right in front of us?"
"Hm, I wonder about this sometimes..."
And Karl actually began to think! Just what was wrong about these two weirdoes?!
Isn't there something else you should pay more attention to? Like the goblins in front of us who has been staring in our direction this whole time...
This whole time...
Wait, we have been busted?!
"Hey, guys! This isn't the time to be fooling around! They've just found us!" I exclaimed as I jumped out of the hiding spot.
Following after me was Karl.
"Looks like your retorts gave away our position." Karl sighed. "This can't do, Shadow. Even though your name is Shadow yet you cannot even hide properly. I am disappointed in you."
"And whose fault do you think it was?" I retorted once again.
"There is no time to talk. They are closing in on us."
This brat!
Even though there were still some stuff I want to say about him but, he's right, it was not the time to be retorting when the goblins showed their hostility towards us.
The goblins, with their weapons in hand, slowly grouped together and formed a semi-circle in front of us.
I also heard rustles from behind me. With my focus being on the goblins in front of me, I didn't dare to look back because I wouldn't want to create an opening for the goblins to stab me. I will just have to rely on Karl behind me to watch my back.
Though, my worry was in vain after I heard Alice's voice:
"Oh, my. Look at all these goblins. There are so many of them!"
Alice sounded like she was surprised. I understand why she would feel that way.
One moment ago she was still having a nap and by the time she woke up she was greeted by a large amount of hostile goblins...
"Aaah, to think so many goblins were attracted by my beauty. I am such a sinful woman."
"Is that what you were surprised about?!" I retorted. "Just what is going on in your mind to come up with this conclusion?!"
"Was it not obvious enough?" Alice sighed. "It's because I'm attractive."
It's obvious that there's no use talking to this girl!
I'll just ignore her for now and concentrate on the goblins in front of me... Wait, has the semi-circle gotten bigger?
If I remember correctly, before I was distracted by some idiot's action, there were only about 20 to 25 goblins here. Their number had grown close to a hudred and they had gathered in a semi-circle in front of us.
This was clearly the size of a small army.
Isn't this number bad? Has a Rookie Killer ever herded this many goblins? Just where did the extras came from?
But out of all the questions that came through my mind, there was one that should immediately be answered.
"What should we do now?" I asked the person responsible for leading the team. "How are we going to get out of this alive?"
"Hmph." Karl snickered after hearing my question, "We charge head on!"
"Like hell we doing that! How are four people going to survive fighting a hundred goblins?!"
"Do not be fazed by their numbers, even if there are a hundred of them they are merely just goblins. Do not forget that our party is composed of specialized experts."
"Of course I won't forget what our party consists of. It's a party with three 'Adventurers'! The weakest job!"
"Good of you to remember." Karl sounded impressed. "There was a famous saying that goes like this, 'in order to win a battle, you need to know your enemy and yourself'." And then he declared. "We are going to bring victory home!"
"We are so going to die!"
What should I do? Should I just turn back and run the other way?
Judging from Karl's tone of voice, it seemed like he was confident with his ability to take on the goblins.
Wait, thinking back, the reason why I'm here was because we have 2 Reincarnators in our party. Never mind what Ken can do, but hearing what Karl and Alice can do I'm sure the goblins will just be a piece of cake for them.
That's right, I should just go hide behind them and wait till they clean up the goblins.
But, just before I was able to take action, suddenly...
"Alright, men!" Karl issued a command. "Get into formation!"
Huh, formation? What formation? Have we discussed this beforehand?
"Yes!" "Can't be helped." Alice and Ken responded.
What's this, those two knew about the formation? Was I the only one who was left out of the strategy discussion? Was I not part of the party?
This was not right!
Why was I left out of their discussion about the formation?
Now my mind was set to get an answer for that question from the three brats behind me! I don't even care if I left my back open to the goblins, screw them! If they want to fight then that's after I get my answer!
I turned around. But I froze after I did...
What I saw was the three brats standing in a straight line right in front of me.
Does this mean they were standing behind me before I turned around making me their meat-shield?
"Oi, what's the meaning of this?" I asked Alice who was the closest one to me.
"It's a formation." Alice replied. "Karl devised this before we came here."
I knew it!
"And? Why do I know nothing about this?" I continued my questions. "Why are we in this positioning?"
"That is because this is a Line Formation." Karl, who was behind Alice, answered. "If I were to tell the 'meat-shield' about this formation then he wouldn't have agreed to it."
"Of course I wouldn't agree to this! Why should I be the one standing in front against an army of goblins? Do you think I have a death wish or something?!"
"Neither do I have a death wish."
I seriously wanted to punch this guy!
"Anyway, this isn't the matter of who has a death wish or not." I said. "Don't you have some kind of special ability? Shouldn't one of you three stand in the front because of that?"
"I'm afraid I cannot do this, my soul mate." It was Ken who answered this time. "It's not very often I get to see such a nice opening of my prey's back. Is this not inviting enough?" He glared at Karl's back with eyes like a predator. "Now I just need to... heh, heh, heh..."
Wait, this guy still wants to back-stab his party leader?!
"A-Alice, do you mind changing place with me?" Karl asked. "For some reason I am getting some shivers crawling up my back."
"No, I don't trust anyone but you to watch my back."
"Well, to be honest with you. Somehow I feel my back is in a much more dangerous situation than having the goblins in front of us... "
And this party already has trust issues?! Just how did this guy assemble this party?
"..." I was speechless.
I had no other words to describe the current situation.
Right now, behind me was the army of goblins and in front of me was a disoriented party...
Considering both factors plus my current state, I managed to come up with one decision:
"I'm going home."
Just as I took a few steps towards the bush where we just hid, a hand grabbed onto my shoulder.
"Shadow, where do you think you are going?" Karl asked. "You can't just leave your party members behind. You are lacking team spirit."
"Shut up!" I slapped his hand away and pointed at the other two brats. "You dare talk to me about team spirit with a party like this!"
"Calm down, calm down. You will agitate the goblins."
"Your action has already agitated me!"
"Fine, I will tell you the truth why you were placed in front of us in this formation."
What? There's actually a valid reason for me to stand in the front? Not just making me their meat shield because I'm the odd one out?
Karl began his explanation:
"I made the decision based on your status and equipment. You are the most suitable one to stand in the front than us three."
Oh, is that why he asked to look at my Status Card before we left the town. This means he must have considered the status of each party member before coming up with this formation. I would've say he has a talent as a party leader, if it wasn't for his strange actions...
Karl also mentioned he took my equipment into consideration for putting me in front of the party, but, taking a good look at myself...
Covering my black shirt was a brown leather chest piece, which contributed most of my defense. The other pieces of clothing that contributed almost to zero defense were my pant and shoes.
For offense, I had a short-sword equipped.
Was this enough to be put in front of the whole party? I have my doubt.
Karl smirked, as if he could tell what I was thinking by reading my expression.
"The rest of us had allocated most of our points towards magic-related stats." Karl said. "Thus, naturally, you are the most suitable person to be in the front. More-like," He placed a hand on my shoulder, "Only you can do it for us!"
Only you can do it for us! Only you can do it for us! Only you can do it for us-us-us...
Those words resonated in my brain repeatedly.
"Alright!" I drew my sword and turned to the goblins. "Leave the job as a tank to me!"
If it's something only I can do then it can't be helped! Let me, your senior adventurer, show you how the job as a tank should be done!
"Heh, too easy."
Karl seemed to have mumbled something behind me but I couldn't hear. Well, that doesn't matter because I need to concentrate in performing my job as a tank!
"Alright, men!" Karl exclaimed. "Let's prepare for battle and slaughter these goblins! Let them become part of our experience for growth!"
"Haa... do you always have to be so dramatic every time we battle?" Alice sighed. "Remember we are not in the army anymore."
"Tch, this guy is annoying." Ken clicked his tongue. "Maybe I should use this opportunity and cleave him from behind."
Oi, oi. I know I did say I will be the tank for the party but that doesn't mean you brats at the back can do whatever you want! Support me properly! I don't want to get overwhelmed and killed by the goblins just because the back-line was fighting among themselves!
"This isn't the time to disagree with one another!" Karl shouts. "We are on a quest! We need to show our responsibility as adventurers by achieving the quest objective!"
Alice and Ken quieted down.
Oh, not bad. Even after being poured the cold water by the other two brats, Karl still managed to maintain his composure.
I think I should look at him in a new light.
"That's more like it." Karl was impressed with his party members. "Now, ready your weapon!"
Karl unsheathed his short-sword.
Alice took out her large scythe.
Ken unwraps a battle ax from a cloth.
"ARE YOU BRATS MAKING FUN OF ME?!" I grabbed Karl by his collar and exclaimed. "Why am I standing in the front when all of you are equipped for close-range combat?!"
"You are misunderstanding the situation, Shadow." He then loudly declared. "These weapons are for self-defense purposes!"
"I have never seen a self-defense weapon that huge! Are you guys planning to defend yourself from Griffins or Chimera's?! I know yours is understandable but the other two are definitely more qualified than I am to be in the front! So what am I standing in the front for?"
"Shadow, there is something you have to understand." Karl placed his hand on my shoulder. "There are a lot more unfair things in this world."
"At least be fair to your party member!"
There's definitely something wrong with this guy's head. Why does he wants me to stand in the front so much?
Did he think I had a hidden ability like them or something?
...
Man, if he really wants to see what I am capable of then he should have just say so.
It can't be helped since I am such a nice guy so I will answer his expectation of me. Looks like this was the right time for me to reveal the power I have been hiding this whole time.
That's right, I have been hiding my power and acting all weak. That's because I don't want people to know my power. Girls would fall head over heels over me if I were to show it off carelessly.
I mean the monster I managed to kill that one time was a slime, a monster much stronger than mere goblins.
Therefore, taking on goblins should be a breeze.
But of course, powerful abilities always comes with an inconvenient restriction. The restriction my power has was that it will only work against intelligent beings.
Luckily, the goblins can be counted in as one of those intelligent beings.
The proof has to be the weapons those goblins use. Them being able to wield weapons already displayed some degree of intelligence, and I also noticed some of their rough-looking weapons were made by their own hands. Others carried nicely crafted weapons and armor pieces which probably came from the other adventurers they killed and looted.
All of these points scream that the goblins had intelligence.
With the conditions met, I will be able to activate my hidden skill.
Now, I just need to make the right procedures:
First, I took out 2 cushions from my bag and placed them on the ground. Then I sat on one of them and invited what looks like a representative goblin to take a seat on the other cushion. After both parties were seated, I greeted the other party by lowering my head slightly.
Lastly, just when the other party was least suspecting my hostility, I drew my weapon...!
A Business Card!
"wait, wait, Wait!" Karl grabbed onto my shoulder. "Just what is the meaning of this?"
"This?" I was puzzled and took a glance at the small rectangular object in my hand...
Nothing strange.
"It's a Business Card." I replied. "Never seen it?"
"Of course I know that is a business card! I am asking why are you taking it out here?"
"That's because this is my weapon."
"Your weapon?!"
"Is it fine to ask this many questions, aren't you breaking your character this way?" I asked. "Also, I thought everything I do was obvious enough so there wasn't any need for you to break out of your Military Maniac Character."
"Let us ignore you breaking the fourth-wall casually and answer the question I asked earlier." Then Karl exclaimed, "Who are you calling a Military Fanatic Idiot?!"
"That wasn't the question you asked! And nobody here said something like that!"
This is bad, I didn't think Karl would be this confused about the situation. I guess it can't be helped to explain to him what I am capable of and what I am planning to do.
"You see, I am a 'Contractor'." I showed him my Status Card. "I can freely form contracts with intelligent beings. Like the goblin sitting on the cushion and listening to us."
"I don't know why the goblins are keeping quiet and listening to us... But yes, I do know 'Contractors' are capable of forming contracts with other beings so they become the Contractors' weapons." Then Karl frowned. "So shouldn't you fight with the beings you've formed contract with? Why are you trying to form a contract with a goblin? Even with a business card?"
"Aah, I see, that's where the misunderstanding was~" I nodded. "I don't use the beings I made contract with as my weapon, in fact, this Business Card is my weapon."
"What, this piece of paper is your weapon?!" Karl was surprised. "I did hear you emphasize the words 'Business Card' a lot so this means this 'Business Card' is some sort of powerful magic item in disguise as an ordinary object to let your opponents' guard down?! Does this magic item have magic that instantly kills your opponent at close range?Or perhaps, this card could actually shoot out an wide-range spell to take out all the goblins in one go?"
"No, this is just an ordinary business card. Even so, it is still as deadly as that."
"H-Huh?"
"Still confused? Haa..." I sighed.
I guess it's better to keep the explanation simple so even an idiot like him can understand.
"This Business Card is to introduce my opposition to the contract I want him or her to sign. I will keep switching to different Business Cards until the opposition shows interest in forming a contract. That is when I will take out a Contract Paper corresponding to the Business Card and let the opposition sign in the designated area. The moment the Contract is complete, the real hell begins."
"The real hell?"
"That's correct! Once the Contract is complete, the two parties who signed on the Contract Paper must obey whatever the conditions are listed on it! Such as party A must deliver certain goods to Party B and Party B must pay for the goods! These contracts follows the law of Belzerg Kingdom so no one can disobey once both parties are signed into a contract until the duration listed in the contract expires." I shook my head. "And because of that party A usually exploit loopholes within the contract to take advantage of the careless party B who signs the agreement. Which could result in party B going into huge debt before the end of the contract." I grinned. "And this is what I am about to do to the careless goblin who is currently sitting on my cushion!"
"Does this mean..." Karl paused a bit before he continued. "You are a contractor who forms business contracts for people and not a 'Contractor' who fights with the beings he makes contract of?"
"Hm?" I tilted my head. "Is there a difference?"
"..."
Karl suddenly became silent. He took some time to inhale and exhale some air.
I saw him mumbling something so I thought he was trying to sort out the information I dumped at him.
Then this thought of mine was proven wrong by his next action...
"[Create Weapon]"
The moment he shouted that, light was emitted from the palm of his hands.
This act created a disturbance within the air and I could feel the air being absorbed towards the light. In a moment, the light seemed to have reached its maximum brightness, indicating the ending of this process.
Then, the light disappeared and in its place was two objects I rarely see but not unfamiliar with:
A dual pistols.
Ooh, guns, so Karl decided to use his ability already! I'm rather surprised for him to use his ability this early in the battle, I took him for the type to hide his ability when there were too many people around. Well, whatever the type of person he is, it certainly will be quicker if he just use his overpowered ability.
Karl pointed one of his guns at the goblin sitting on the cushion.
Like seriously though, if he already decided to do it why didn't he just do it from the start? Was there any fun to it by fooling around? He does have a screw loose in his brain just like those brain damaged Crimson Demon Clan so there's really no point to try to understand their actions... hm?
Something is strange here that I couldn't help but want to understand...
"Hey, Karl. Who are you pointing your gun at?" I asked.
"The enemies of course." Karl replied. "As a trained soldier, I am sure I will not miss my target that could cause any unnecessary friendly-fire."
"Ah, I see." I crossed my arms and nodded. "I definitely believe you that I wouldn't be hit by friendly-fire if the goblins are just a few steps away from you. But there's is one thing I want to ask..." I pointed at Karl's other gun that was pointed at me. "How are you planning to not Friendly-Fire when you are pointing your gun straight at me? What's this, can your bullet curve around me or something?"
"No, my bullets can only go straight. But don't worry, I can assure you that friendly-fire would never happen." Karl smiled. "After-all, you are one of the targets I'm shooting at."
"WHY IS THIS?! Why am I the only one receiving this kind of treatment? This whole time I've been treated like an outsider instead of a member in your team! It was you who asked me to join your party, right? I was recruited as a party member, right?"
"Exactly, to me you are a party member." Karl answered. Then his eyes became furious. "But I can't stand dealing with idiots! At a scale of 3 out of 10!"
"Just 3 out of 10 and you decided to kill me?! I can't even imagine what you are going to do with the thing at the scale of 10!"
And I am more surprised at the fact that Karl hasn't shoot himself in the head whenever he sees himself in a mirror. I bet 1 million Eris that this guy is the biggest idiot in this party! Heck, I would even believe it if he told me he grew up in Crimson Demon Clan or he's a devotee of the Axis Cult!
Then Alice stepped in front of Karl.
"Please lower you guns, Karl." She said as she pushed Karl's hands down. "We are trained soldiers so we need to maintain a calm mind and we have to keep it clear who our enemy is." Alice smiled. "It is not nice to start any senseless killing, right? That's why..." She took the guns from Karl and pointed them at me. "We just need to shoot Shadow."
"You are the one who should not start any senseless killing!" I snapped. "Since when have I became your enemy?! Didn't we come here to eliminate a Rookie Killer? Why do I feel like I have already encountered a new type of Rookie Killer?"
"I am shooting you because Karl has determined you to be his enemy." Alice replied. "Since Karl is the only one I trust so his enemy is my enemy."
"Hey, girl, I seriously think you should just calm down for some time and think clearly about the way you do things."
Who am I kidding? Both of these two Reincarnators are idiots!
I'm so surprised they haven't shoot at one another yet!
"Kukuku, you imbeciles can continue on with your foolish games." This time, Ken stepped up. "While you mortals were indulged in your foolishness, my presence has already made the lower beings flee from fear."
"What is this idiot saying?" I asked.
"Ah, he is saying that the goblins are running away." Karl answered.
"What?!"
I looked to the direction where the goblins should be but the goblins who had us cornered were no longer there. By following the trails left behind by the goblins, we could see them running over the hill that was quite a distance away from here.
They looked like they were trying to run as far away from this place as quick as possible.
"Kukuku, looks like my presence was the main source of their fear!" Ken laughed.
"Not exactly." Karl objected. "They flee when they saw my ability to generate guns. Haa, this is why I dislike using my ability. Quests becomes boring because of it."
"Whatever the reason is the goblins are no longer here, right? This is mission clear, right?" Alice asked excitedly. "This means we can go home, right? Finally I can go back to my bed."
"No, weren't you able to sleep while standing? Do you actually need a bed?" I retorted. "And plus this isn't mission clear at all, our mission wasn't to come here and chase the goblins away! We are here to eliminate a Rookie... Kill...er..."
The moment when I recalled our true objective, a sudden realization struck me as I mentioned the name of our target.
Goblins are herded by the Rookie Killer to attract careless adventurers...
The goblins who were cornering us suddenly made a run for it...
Which means...
I instinctively turned 180 degrees around and immediately, on a faraway hill, I spotted a trail of dirt cloud being formed.
To confirm what the cause of the dirt cloud was, I looked through my monocular.
At the head of the trail, I saw a monster running with its eyes fixed at my direction.
Of course, that monster was a Rookie Killer.
"I-I-It's a Rookie Killer!" I exclaimed in panic. "It's coming towards us! Wha-What should we do?"
Then Karl, who seemed oddly calm, replied:
"Our target is still far from here, there is no need to panic." He sighed. "We can just neutralize the target from here."
After he said that, he mumbled [Create Weapon] and the blinding light appeared in the palm of his hand once again.
The light soon disappeared and in its place was a sniper rifle.
Karl laid down on the ground, aim down the sight and squeezed the trigger.
*BAM*
Explosive sound broke out as the bullet left the barrel of the rifle.
Headshot.
Having confirmed the kill, Karl stood up with a satisfied look.
Fast, fluid, no extra steps taken and all it took was one shot to fell a Rookie Killer.
"This is how professionals do things." Karl said. "Now, our mission is complete and let's go home."
"Yay! We can finally go home!" Alice cheered.
"Hmph." Ken closed his eyes and nodded. "Only this time will I allow you to hog all the glory for this quest."
The three began tracking their way back to Axel but...
"Hey, you three. Come and look at this."
Only to be called back by me.
The three came back to me with frowns on their forehead and looked in the direction I was pointing.
Then their eyes widened the moment they see the unending creation of the dirt cloud.
"W-What is going on?" Karl was surprised.
Aah, I totally understand why he was surprised by it. I mean, anyone would when he or she sees what we saw.
The trail of dirt cloud was the product of the dirt dug up by the Rookie Killer running towards us. This means the dirt cloud should not be formed anymore once the monster responsible for creating it was killed.
But now, this was not the case.
The trail of dirt cloud was still being formed and of course the ground would not dig itself up to create such phenomenon.
There must be a cause for it. Looking through my monocular, I have confirmed the identity of the source that was creating the trail of dirt cloud.
A Rookie Killer was running in our direction.
"Seriously, a Rookie Killer?" Karl exclaimed. "How is he still up and running after I shot it in the head? Does it have two brains or something?"
"Probably." Alice agreed. "No wonder that monster is called a Rookie Killer, it has two brains to scheme cunning plans to outwit beginner adventurers."
"Ah, I see. Looks like we have discovered new knowledge."
How did you two came up with such conclusion? Wasn't it already recorded in the Monsters Encyclopedia that Rookie Killer only has one brain?
"Well, it does not matter if he has another brain." Karl aimed down the sight. "I will just give it another shot."
*BAM*
A bullet went through the Rookie Killer's head.
"A confirmed headshot." Karl said as he placed his rifle on his shoulder. "Now we can finally say the mission has been completed."
"No, not yet." I answered him while looking into my monocular. "The Rookie Killer is still up and running."
"What?!" Karl looked through his rifle scope and confirmed the truth. "How is this possible?"
"Maybe we got it all wrong?" Alice was surprised that her conclusion was incorrect. "If the Rookie Killer does not have two brains then what could it be?" Alice placed her hand under her chin and began thinking. "Ah, I got it!" Immediately, she arrived to an answer. "The Rookie Killer actually has three brains instead!"
"Ah, I see. This sounds like a reasonable conclusion." Karl nodded in agreement. "Looks like we have once again discovered new knowledge about the Rookie Killer."
And here I am staring at the two as if I have just discovered new kind of species of idiots.
"If that is so, then..." Karl raised his rifle again. "I will just give it another sho-"
"Stop it, you idiot!" I whacked him on his head. "It's obviously not the case of whether the Rookie Killer has two or more brains!"
"Then what could it be?" Karl asked while rubbing his head.
"The answer is simple,"
The moment I was about to reveal the answer, a strong gust came by at the right time as if I have previously prepared it.
The gust flew towards the other hill, blew away the dirt cloud and revealed the secret it was hiding.
"There is more than just one Rookie Killer."
28... 29... 30. Counting the 2 that Karl shot there were 32 Rookie Killers in total. This explained why there were so many goblins in one area, these goblins were herded by 32 Rookie Killers.
Did the Rookie Killers scheme this kind of plan to attract and kill adventurers more efficiently? But according to the Monsters Encyclopedia the Rookie Killers prefer to work alone...
What was going on?
Well, doesn't matter what the reason was, there were still 30 Rookie Killers rushing towards us so this wasn't the right time to think of those stuff.
"What should we do?" I asked. "I don't think we can outrun them and I don't think sniping them one by one would be enough."
"I agree." Alice nodded. "With the speed they are going, even if I join the sniping I don't think we can kill them all before they reach us."
"Also, I do not possess any ability to annihilate them when they are that far from me." Ken shook his head. "Then again, with that number, I doubt I even have the skills required to fend them off in close-range."
Then the three of us looked at Karl:
"""What should we do?"""
Suddenly being in the center of attention to come up with a strategy, Karl smiled. It was a confident smile, a man would only make that kind of smile when he was able to easily come up with an answer for a difficult problem.
As expected of the self-proclaimed Military Genius.
"The only way to get us out of this situation is..." Karl responded to our expectation. "Snipe them from afar."
"Hey, Alice, borrow me a pistol."
"Here."
"Thank you." I received a pistol from her and I pointed it at Karl. "Any last words?"
"H-Hey, are we still going on with this joke?" Karl put his hands up. "Are we not already in a sticky situation? Let us settle this another time... Tell him Alice." Then he turned to Alice. "Tell him that I was only joking ear..li...er..."
His voice became softer and weaker when he saw Alice also pointed a pistol at him.
"A-Alice?" Karl broke his voice. "W-What is the meaning of this?"
"The Karl I trust does not make jokes." Alice inches closer with the pistol. "Who are you and where is the real Karl?"
"Haa... Like I said..." Karl sighed. "Can we continue this joke for another time?"
*Pan*
Karl snapped his fingers and the guns he made disappeared in an instant.
"Ah, you are the real Karl!" Alice bowed in an apologetic manner. "I'm sorry! I really am!"
"It is fine." Karl patted her head. "As long as you know that even I can make a joke or two."
Hm? For some reason Alice has a delightful expression, I wonder if she was glad to be forgiven by Karl or if she enjoyed to be patted on her head.
Whatever the reason was it did not matter, since we have a bigger problem to take care of.
"In all seriousness." I crossed my arms and asked Karl. "What are we going to do?"
"Like I said earlier, we just need to snipe them from here but we are not going to kill them off one-by-one." Karl raised his index finger. "We will eliminate them in one shot."
"In one shot? How?"
"With this!" He held his hand out. "[Create Custom Weapon]"
A light, stronger than the ones he has created before, emerged from his palm. In a moment the light reached its maximum brightness and suddenly dispersed into small orbs of light that hovered in the air until they vanished. Just like how Karl demonstrated his ability earlier, a new weapon was in his hand.
The weapon has a long barrel with a large diameter. At the end of the barrel was a large circular object connecting the barrel and the trigger of the weapon. On the side of the circular object was a meter for measuring something.
Even though the weapon has no pattern but its weird design already made it stand out.
Just what kind weapon is this? Even I, who have seen many Reincarnators, have yet to witness this kind of weapon!
"By combining all my knowledge about any explosive weapons I know I was able to make this! A weapon that can wipe out a group of monsters!" Karl smirked. "I called this the 'Magic Cannon'!"
"Ooooh!" I clapped my hands. "How does it work?"
"It works like a Rocket Launcher. But instead of rocket, this weapon gathers mana and shoot them all in one burst to create a large explosion!"
"..." I don't get it...
"Oh, okay I understand." "Hm, so this is how it works."
The other two seemed to know how it works so I know this Rocket Launcher weapon was also a product of their world. Guns from their world requires bullets to shoot, therefore this rocket must be the bullet for this Rocket Launcher weapon.
It seemed this new weapon Karl created was capable in killing monsters in an area so I was sure I would survive this day.
Yes, way to go! Overpowered Reincarnators!
"If it can kill the Rookie Killers then what are we waiting for?" I asked. "Let's just do it and get this quest over and done with!"
"There is no need to rush, the Rookie Killers are still faraway." Karl calmly replies. "And plus, I still need to charge up the Magic Cannon before I can shoot it."
"You still need to charge it?" I gulped nervously. "How long will it take?"
"Haha, look how worried you are." Karl laughed. "Worry not, Shadow. Did I not say I combined all my knowledge make this weapon? Of course I took the charging time into consideration." He smiled handsomely. "I have made this weapon with the intention to get us out of a sticky situation so I made it capable to absorb mana fast."
Karl reached his hand towards the metal plate on the circular side of the weapon.
"All I need to do is feed mana into this weapon by doin-"
*Thud*
Karl collapsed on the ground due to mana deficiency.
"That's way too fast!" I retorted.
"Looks like..." Karl said weakly. "...I wasted too much mana by creating this weapon and the other guns." He looked at the meter of the Magic Cannon. "Looks like my remaining mana could only feed it up to ten-percent."
"Only ten-percent?! What are we going to do with you downed?!"
"Don't worry. There is still me, remember?" Alice said as she picked up the Magic Cannon. "My ability to be able to use any weapon complements well with Karl's ability. So even if this is a weapon I have never seen before, I could still use it."
Then she extended her hand towards the metal plate to feed the Magic Cannon.
*Thud*
Alice was downed due to mana deficiency.
"What are trying to complement? That you too can also collapse?!"
"Ha...ha..." Karl laughed weakly. "See? I was not joking when I said this weapon is capable of absorbing mana fast?"
"Is this the right time to brag about your creation?! Our party members are falling one-by-one even before the Rookie Killers got to us!"
"...aah..." A small squeak came from Alice, "Looks like I was only able to charge it up to fifty-percent..."
"Only fifty-percent? If I remembered correctly, Alice did not use anything that consumes her mana, right? Just how mana hungry is this weapon?!"
"Well, it was created with the intention to wipe an area of monsters..." Karl explained. "So it needs large quantity of mana before it can even shoot anything..."
"You even made a condition for it to shoot?! Where are Eris are we going to get the other fifty-percent?"
"Kukuku, you imbeciles." Ken laughed and picked up the weapon. "You are in this state because you let the weapon control you. Watch me!" He gathered a large amount of mana in his hand. "Let me prove to all of you who the true master of this weapon is by filling this weapon up in one go!"
He pressed his mana-filled palm onto the metal plate.
*Thud*
Ken slid a little down on the grass due to mana deficiency.
"What are you trying to prove?! You trying to prove that it's possible to slide on grass?"
"...Heh, at least I managed to fill it up..."
I looked at the meter and saw the once-emptied glass was now filled up with the color blue.
So this means the weapon is ready to shoot, huh... wait, why is changing color? And this strange sound coming from it...
"Hey, Karl." I called out to its maker. "Why is the weapon turning red? It's also making some dangerous noise."
"Oh, no! The weapon is overcharged!" Karl exclaimed.
"Wait, overcharged? What do you mean?"
"It means the Magic Cannon has absorbed more than its capacity and will blow up any moment... haa..." Karl sighed. "Looks like this was the flaw if I increase the speed of absorption. I will need to rethink the way I make custom weapons..."
"This isn't the time to be thinking about improving your creation! We are going to get caught up in the explosion of the weapon you created! It won't be funny if this is the way we die!"
"Quick! You got to release the energy stored inside it!" Karl commanded. "Just press the trigger to let the weapon shoot out all its stored mana!"
"Are you crazy?! Are you telling me to touch something that could explode any moment?"
"This is the only way to save us from the predicament! You are the only who can move so only you can do it!"
"That line is not going to work on me in this situation!"
I knew it! I just knew it that my day would turn bad the moment I saw these people!
Reincarnators? Overpowered?
I feel like such things were a lie!
Even though I have been busy filling up my mind with complaints, my body has already moved on its own.
It was my instinct at work for survival.
I grabbed the Magic Cannon and held it up with the barrel pointed at the incoming Rookie Killers.
"God, Damn, It, KARL! I won't forgive you if I die because of your shitty weapon!" I squeezed the trigger. "Mark my WORDS!"
"In total, thirty-two Rookie Killers were exterminated. As expected of Mr. Shadow, we can always count on you to complete a quest."
In the Guild, Luna passed the reward to me over the counter.
"Here is the reward money for the quest."
"Ah, thank you." I replied in a tired tone and took the reward.
"The quest was to eliminate one Rookie Killer so the other thirty-one Rookie Killers were added as bonus and I included the extras inside the bag I handed to you. But, Mr. Shadow..." Luna showed me a dark smile. "I know that you are strong but please can you refrain from killing so many monsters at once and destroying the terrain while you are at it? You may damage the ecosystems around Axel, you know?"
"This wasn't my fault! Who'd knew there would be thirty-two Rookie Killers when we were told only one was sighted? And I didn't know that Magic Cannon thing could shoot out something on par with 'Explosion'!"
"Seriously..." Luna made a troubled look as she lean her face on her palm. "When I heard a loud exploding sound so close to the town, I thought the Demon King's Army came to Axel. Luckily it was a false alarm."
"Oh, talking about 'Explosion'." I tried to change the subject of our talk. "I heard from Mune that there seemed to be sounds of Explosion around Axel recently."
"Yes, thanks to that everyone in town was on their edge." Luna frowned. "The Guild thought someone around the level of Demon King's General had come to Axel and planned to attack us with Explosion." She shook her head. "But it seemed like that was not the case as none of the adventurers we sent out reported a sighting of any Demon King's Army. I guess this is just a prank by someone..."
An 'Explosion' is a prank made by someone? It seemed our star receptionist was not thinking straight with her mind, maybe this was the effect of the constant 'Explosion' incident.
"If this continues then this will cause a lot of trouble to the townsmen." Luna sighed.
"I will tell you this, today was the first time I fired that weapon so I'm not the one you looking for."
"Fufu, do not worry, Mr. Shadow." Luna chuckled. "We already know that it is not you."
"Well, then, good luck in finding the culprit."
"Thank you for your service today, Mr. Shadow." Luna stood up and gave me a slight bow. "We hope for your service again."
"I'm not going to do that kind of quest again!"
I said my good-bye and took my leave.
I greeted Mune who was helping the floor as a waitress before I went out of the exit.
After leaving the Guild, I looked back at the time I experience today.
The quest was crazy and wild, there were 32 Rookie Killers.
Dealing with idiots was tiring, but it wasn't boring.
The day was pretty fun...
"Yep, just like old times." I looked up at the almost full-moon.
I wondered how long it has been since that time.
Anyway, this wasn't the time to get all sentimental.
I still need to split the reward with the three idiots who still couldn't get up even till now.
I think I can ask for a bigger cut for carrying all three of them back to Axel.
Hm... Maybe 97:1:1:1?
='='='='=
At the corner of the busy Guild, Yunyun had just completed her second story of the card tower.
Same as usual, she placed her recruitment advert on the notice board since morning and waited the whole day for someone willing to form a party with her. But because no one other than the staff of the Guild talked to her, her skill in building tower with cards has gotten better.
But she was not sad, because at least tonight she has company.
"Did you hear? Did you hear that?" Megumin asked repeatedly.
Yunyun could tell how excited Megumin was by looking at her restlessness and that glowing red eye.
The symbol of Crimson Demon Clan.
"Hear what?" Yunyun asked.
"How dense are you? The sound definitely reached the town, didn't it?" Megumin sighed when Yunyun was not sure what she was talking about. "It's 'Explosion'! The 'Explosion' from this afternoon! Did you not hear that?"
"Oh, that. Yes, I can remember that." Yunyun smiled weakly. "There's no way I would forget about that one." She looked at Megumin angrily, with tears about to come out of her eyes. "The tremor made by the 'Explosion' destroyed my tower!"
"W-Wait, don't look at me! I haven't cast 'Explosion' today! Ah..." Then Megumin realized that she has yet to perform her daily chore.
No wonder she felt uneasy when she came to the Guild. Megumin decided that she was going do it tonight but she needed to find a person to carry her back afterwards since she would collapse from mana deficiency...
"Oh, so it's not you?" Yunyun tilted her head. "Seeing how excited you were I thought you came here to brag about the 'Explosion' you cast."
"Yes, indeed I am excited about the 'Explosion' that was not cast by me! It sounded big! It felt big!" Megumin said excitedly. "I need to find the caster! There's a high chance 'that Onee-san' is here, in Axel!"
"..." Yunyun stared at the Megumin and thought she was amazing.
Megumin left the village and came all the way to Axel to find that person with just clues and rumors she got along the way.
The person who taught Megumin 'Explosion'.
Comparing to herself, Yunyun did not have such a grand goal when she came to Axel with Megumin.
She only wanted to meet new people and make friends to do things together... Though, she wondered why no one talked to her today even though she already put up an recruitment notice.
"Ah." Yunyun remembered something that happened at noon.
She thought she saw a young adventurer with silver hair looking at her while she was building a card tower. She got her hopes up and she thought the young adventurer was interested in forming a party with her. But it turned out it was just her imagination because the young adventurer quickly turned his head away the moment she looked back at him.
"Hm?" Megumin noticed Yunyun was looking at her strangely. "Is there something on my face?"
"A-Ah? No it's nothing." Yunyun noticed she was doing something rude so she quickly snapped out of her thought. She then thought up a reasoning to neutralize the awkwardness. "I-I was just thinking how amazing you are to come here to look for 'that Onee-san'."
"O-Oh, is it?" Suddenly being praised by Yunyun made Megumin embarrassed.
"Yes, you are truly amazing, Megumin." Yunyun reaffirmed. "Back then, I used to think you were just some girl with a screw loose in her brain and only blindly fell in love with the useless 'Explosion' magic like a fool." Yunyun smiled. "Thank goodness Megumin is still Megumin. Someone worthy to be my rival."
"..."
That was the moment Megumin decided the person she was looking for was Yunyun.
"Hey, Yunyun are you free tonight?" Megumin asked with a smile. "Want to go out for a date?"
Megumin decided that Yunyun will be the person to carry her back to Axel after she cast her daily 'Explosion'.
Late at night.
A beautiful woman slowly opened her eyes.
Saying she was beautiful was an understatement but there were no other words that could describe her beauty.
The woman looked around the room to recollect the events that have occurred for her to end up in this room. Looking at the furniture layout of the room, she recognized the simple room that lacks decoration was one of the many rooms in a certain inn in this town that she had being staying for quite a while.
Even though she recognized the room by looking at its layout, she did not lit a candle to illuminate the dark room.
But how was she able to see at night? Was it the moonlight that came through the window?
No, the red-haired woman had something else.
Her red eyes that glowed at night had cat-like pupils allowed her to see things in the dark.
"Oh..."
The woman remembered something important.
A figure of a young girl who tied her long blonde hair in pigtails appeared in her mind.
"I made a promise with her, huh..."
The woman got out of the bed, walked to the only window of this room and opened it.
She looked up to admire the almost full-moon in the clear sky.
"Looks like it's clear to fly today."
After saying that, from beneath her long straight hair covering her back, two bat wings grew out of her back.
She spread her wings to give them a good stretch.
"Okay, I'm good to go."
The woman jumped out of the window and flapped her wings to get above the buildings in the town.
The female demon flew across the clear sky under the guidance of the moon.
Chapter One Ends